Insulation constitutes a very significant proportion of the volume of many buildings. The majority of this insulation comes in batt form—strips or blankets. Batt insulation comes in various widths and lengths and is packaged in rolls. This type of insulation is installed by cutting the un-rolled batts into the desired size, which is then pressed into spaces or cavities in walls, ceilings, attics, floors, etc. The most widely used forms of insulation are made from non-organic substances such as glass and minerals that are heated, spun and glued together to form batts. These insulating materials are known as fiberglass and mineral wool. There are numerous problems and limitation with these types of prior art insulation. First they require large amounts of energy to produce due to the materials from which they are manufactured. Secondly, the fiberglass or mineral wool insulation is stiffened and held together held with glues or binding agents that can emit harmful vapors to humans and the environment, and can increase the manufacturing cost. Further, small pieces of the insulation's non-organic fibers can break off and enter into human occupied environments and can cause adverse health conditions. And lastly, when removed from buildings the insulation material is not easily reused or recycled, does not biodegrade, and enters the waste stream.
Another limitation of prior art insulation is the compressibility of the material. Glass fibers can only be compress so much before they start breaking. Any glues or plastics used to give the batt its shape are broken down by compression such as by rolling the insulation material. Thus, a large amount of storage and transportation space is required for prior art bans.
Further, there are insulation batts manufactured from cellulous-based materials. The batts made from cellulous material such as cotton are use in combination with fixing or binding agents in the manufacture of the insulation. The fixing or binding agents can be latex, glues, or plastics, which are sprayed onto the material (in the case of latex and glues) and either air-dried or dried using ovens, or inter-woven with the material and heated to melt and bind with the organic material (in the case of plastics). The purpose of adding these substances into the manufacturing process is to give the finished product a resilient form. The added binders and fixing agents have environmental impacts. These include the release of harmful or irritating chemicals during manufacture and disposal of the insulation, increased energy required to manufacture the insulation, and increased cost of manufacturing.
In manufacturing these prior art batts, a significant amount of energy is needed to heat and/or dry the latex, plastic, or glue. Additionally, the creation and use of these fixer and binder substances further increases the energy expended for the manufacture of the insulation. Further, latex, plastics or glues can be toxic or can emit pollutants that are harmful to humans and the environment after installation.
During the installation process the insulation is cut to fit into the space requiring insulation. The addition of latex, plastic, or glue makes the insulation more rigid and thus less expandable or compactable and thus difficult to cut or stretch to fill gaps and therefore more difficult to install. Thus, for irregular areas or areas where the insulation has not been cut to the exact site needed, the rigid insulation will leave air pockets, gaps, or channels through which air currents flow allowing heat to enter or escape and thereby reduce the effectiveness of the insulation.
What is needed is an insulation material that is readily expandable to fill any voids being insulated, does not release harmful fibers during the installation or after being installed, requires less energy to manufacture than prior insulation material, does not use or release environmentally toxic materials while in use, during manufacturing, and after disposal, and is easier to store, transport, install, and recycle.